I think this would be an excellent time to follow up with the gentle
reminder for her: no, there are other things besides God which are infinite.
John 3:16 and many others say that we who are mortal may attain eternity.
This doesn't mean we are co-eternal with God, any more than 0.33333333 is --
both it and we start at one finite point and go on to infinity; if one is
willing to endure to the end (Matt 10:22). Who would have thought that 1/3
could provide a lesson about eternal life?

My dad (a former math teacher) also talked about the difference between a
ray and a line, as one mathematical analogy of God and believers.
Technically, though both are the same length (infinite), they are different.
One starts in infinity and goes to infinity, the other starts at a finite
point and goes on to infinity (eternity).

--Merv
p.s. said to my niece as I was giving her a math lesson: "...so there are
an
infinite amount of threes needed after the decimal point before it can equal
1/3 since it can only approach 1/3. So in a sense .3 repeating forever =
1/3" Her immediate reply: "No they don't. Because if the threes went on
forever, then
you're claiming something besides God is infinite; and only God is eternal."
Never having had theology trump a math lesson before, I smiled in submission
and thought it best to resume practice with percentages.

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Received on Wed Mar 12 00:19:59 2008